If you haven’t noticed, your local history museum is open once again.

Although we were closed to the public for over a year, our dedicated volunteers continued their efforts to make your museum one of the best around. You’ve been reading the articles in the Gazette and Facebook, but have you checked out our updated website at FillmoreHistoricalMuseum.org? Besides getting a glimpse at the many exhibits, you can read or reread all the articles we’ve been writing at https://www.fillmorehistoricalmuseum.org/story-index.

That’s not our only online presence. If you aren’t familiar with TheClio.org, check it out. It’s a great resource if you are looking for places to visit around the country. Our page on TheClio.org, https://theclio.com/entry/99487 , will give potential visitors a virtual tour of our main buildings, the 1919 Rancho Sespe Bunkhouse, the 1887 Southern Pacific Depot and the 1905 Hinckley Bungalow.

We took advantage of the Covid closure to create new exhibits on our Pioneer Families, vintage cameras and the evolution of sound and entertainment in the Santa Clara Valley since 1900. Other exhibits have been added to or refreshed. On temporary loan are vintage hats on display in the Bunkhouse.

Have you noticed the emphasis on volunteers? We are a totally volunteer organization and receive no support for any government entity. We are truly the Fillmore community’s museum. We are always looking for new resources who can help us with projects. If you have an interest or a skill that you think might be useful, please let us know. It doesn’t have to be a commitment to be a docent. We’ve had people help us by translating documents (Italian) and display signs (Spanish); refurbish Victrolas; organize our reference library; help organize our storage area. We would like to create a roster of people we can call on if we just need manpower to complete a task. Think about it and if you are interested in supporting your local museum, email us at Fillmore.Museum@gmail.com.

The most important thing is to come and visit us at 340 Main Street. We are open from 9 am to 4 pm from Wednesday through Friday, closing for the noon hour, and 10 am to 3 pm on Saturdays.

A crowd at the 1927 Motorcycle Race with Mount San Cayetano in the background. The race was sponsored by the LA Motorcycle Club and the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce. It brought riders from all over Southern California to race.
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Trophy won by P. A. Bigsby.
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Courtesy Fillmore Historical Museum

Friday mornings at the Museum are usually quiet. There’s time to catch up on the computer and check out the new displays. One morning in 2019 the phone rang and a gentleman asked, “What do you know about the Reliability Race in 1927?”

Me, “Nothing, but we can look for it in our old newspapers. Give me your contact information and I’ll see what I can find.”

The quiet dusty upstairs newspaper room is full to the ceiling with boxes and bound copies of the Fillmore Herald and the Gazette going back to 1903.I pulled the 15” by 21” book of Fillmore Heralds for 1927 down from the shelf and began leafing through the May issues. There it was for May 20, “P. A. Bigsby Wins Hill Climb and Trail Race.” Our gentleman explained that he was doing research for a book on Bigsby who won the race. He has the trophy from the race and was so very happy to get a copy of the newspaper article.

The Herald article describes an exciting event. Sponsored by the LA Motorcycle Club and the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce it bought riders from all over Southern California. The race started at the Fairbanks property which we know as the big white house on Fourth Street, climbed the hill to the Arundell’s up the Sespe, and came down Pole Creek which had been dammed up, crossing it eleven times. The course was 4.7 miles long with some very steep sections zig-zagging up the hills. Riders were given 28 minutes to complete the first lap, 24 minutes for the second, and 21 for the following 11 for a total of 13 laps. Points were deducted for stalling or touching a foot down. That was a lot of excitement for our little town.

P. A. Bigsby the winner was not just a racer; he was an engineer, inventor, and builder. Wikipedia tells us that he was a foreman for Crocker Motorcycles and designed the overhead valve-cylinder head for Crocker engines. He pioneered the solid body guitar. He also built custom guitars for musicians who played on shows in the early days of television. Some appeared with the Spade Cooley Band and on the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show. He designed the vibrato foot for electric guitars which it is a system that was used by Fender Guitars, a feature that is still being used today.

Two years pass and the pandemic closed down the country. Slowly things are beginning to open again including the Museum. The staff and volunteers can begin working on projects. Recently John Nichols of Santa Paula donated a picture of a motorcycle race to the collection. There is no date, no caption, and no label. A close look reveals Mount San Cayetano in the background and tells us the picture was taken in Fillmore. The motorcycles in the picture look old enough to be from 1927. Rereading the May 20, 1927 Fillmore Herald, we found that P. A. Bigsby wore the number 31 and rode a Harley Davidson. There doesn’t seem to be a number 31 in the picture but let’s take a closer look. We zoomed in and there right in the foreground of the picture a rider in white has a faint 31 on his shirt and he is straddling a Harley. That’s got to be him. We passed along our new information to a very happy gentleman who sent us a picture of the beautiful silver trophy won so long ago in our own little town.

If you have are working on a mystery give us a call. Maybe we can help you out. It’s so satisfying pulling together these pieces of the puzzle.

Fillmore’s Fabian (Fabi) Del Villar (above) set a new school record in the two-mile record. The previous record of 9:15.5 was set by Ben Aparicio in 1968; converts to a 3200-meter time of 9:12.28. Fabi converted the time by about .18 seconds making the new record 9:12.10 Photo courtesy Michael Torres.

It took almost 53 years for a Fillmore athlete to set a new record in two mile while running a 3200 Meter race. On Friday night at 8:15 PM, Fabi as he is known by friends and Family toed the starting line at the fabled Arcadia Invitational. Along with 25 quality athletes, he raced 8 laps of the 400 meter oval to place second, less than a second behind the eventual winner from Laguna Beach.

After the first lap, and overcoming a poor start that put him in 22nd place, Fabi worked his way around a large bunched up group of runners eight wide. He had to go out to the 4th lane before he took the lead for laps two through four. During the next few laps, he drifted as far back as fifth before moving back into the third position and finally moving into second. During the final 100 meters, Fabi closed on the eventual winner all the way to the finish before running out of real estate and posting a school record time of 9:12.10.

On the conversion calculator, the school two mile record set by Ben Aparicio on May 17, 1968 at CIF Prelims hosted by Cerritos College of 9:15.5, converts to a 3200 meter time of 9:12.28. So Fabi ran a faster converted time by about .18 seconds.

It was an exciting night for this young athlete who has only been able to run the 3200 meters twice over the last two years, as a result of the CIF safety precautions due to COVID-19. We hope that Fabi will be able to race again during his Fillmore High School tenure. His next major race will be at the Ventura County Track and Field Championships on May 21st at Moorpark High School.

After graduation, he will attend UCLA and would like to continue running and pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Christian Mauricio Ortis, 24, Moorpark.

A 24-year-old Moorpark man arrested for spray painting gang graffiti and causing hundreds of dollars of vandalism damage within the city of Fillmore.

Between March 19, 2021 to March 21, 2021, deputies responded to several reports of an unknown suspect who had spray painted gang related graffiti on cement walls throughout the city of Fillmore. Fillmore patrol deputies began the initial investigation.

The investigation led to deputies locating evidence pertaining to gang related graffiti which was determined to be from two documented rival gangs from the cities of Moorpark and Fillmore.

Detectives from the Fillmore Station continued with an extensive two-month long investigation. The investigation resulted in the vandalism suspect being identified as Moorpark resident Christian Ortis.

On May 11, 2021, Fillmore detectives located and arrested Ortis in the 50 block of Majestic Court in Moorpark. Ortis was taken into custody and he was subsequently booked at the Ventura County Main Jail for violations of PC 594 (b) (2) (a) / Graffiti Vandalism and PC 186.22/participation in a Criminal Street Gang. Ortis remains in custody with his bail set at $100,000. His court date is set for May 13, 2021.

Graffiti vandalism is an eyesore that directly affects the quality of life in our communities. If left unchecked, graffiti can decrease property values and lead to the deterioration of entire neighborhoods. Gang graffiti may also be the catalyst for additional, more serious conflicts between rival gangs. The removal of graffiti costs homeowners, business owners and taxpayers thousands of dollars each year. The Fillmore Detective Bureau recently arrested Christian Ortis and charged him with numerous counts of graffiti vandalism that occurred within the City of Fillmore. The charges amount to a felony.

Over the last month, numerous locations in and around Fillmore were targeted by a graffiti vandal. Some of these locations included private residences and city / county owned property. Using spray paint, the vandal would deface locations with various gang lettering.

The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and to promptly report any graffiti they come across. After police investigation, all graffiti should be immediately removed.

Anyone with information pertaining to crimes of this nature are urged to contact Detective Pewsey at the below listed number. The reporting party may remain anonymous.

Graffiti Removal
The city removes all graffiti by either painting over it or by using the power washer, depending upon the location of the graffiti. If graffiti is on private property, the city secures a signed agreement from the property owner giving them permission to do the work. Call the city at (805) 524-1500 if you see graffiti within the city and they will take steps to remove it.

The Fillmore Police Department encourages citizens to immediately report suspicious people and vehicles, and graffiti to promptly report any crime they come across by calling 911. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank members of the public for their on-going support and due diligence in providing information to assist our agency in solving crimes. We are better at what we do because of our community partnerships.

Join us in the fight on crime by following us on Twitter @VENTURASHERIFF, Facebook, Instagram @ VCSHERIFF, and with Nixle by texting your zip code to 888777 to receive local law enforcement and public safety alerts and advisories.

Nature of Incident: Suspect Arrested for Vandalism and Criminal Street Gang charges
Report Number: 21-36406 / 21-36419 / 21-37577
Location: 800 Block of Santa Clara Street, Fillmore Ca
800 Block of Oliver Street, Fillmore Ca
600 Block of Boulder Street, Fillmore Ca
Date & Time: March 19, 2021 through March 21, 2021
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department Patrol Services, Fillmore Detective Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(A-1) Christian Mauricio Ortis, Moorpark, 24
Prepared by: Detective Sergeant Will Hollowell
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian